Vending machine



` March `16, 1937; G.w. KALIBITZER, JR 2,073,698 V VENDING MACHINE n original File@ Jan. 12, 1955 2 sheetssheet 1 ATTORNEY.

"March 16, 1937. G. w. KALBlTzEmJR 2,073,698

VENDING MACHINE- original Filed Jan. 12, 1935l 2 sheets-sheet 2 Gn' La/W0 BW l /f/ /f ATTORNEY. f

v Patented 16, v'

VENDING George W. Kalbitzer, Jr., Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to The E. Gloo Corporation of America,

Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation Application January 12, 1935, serial No. 1,533Y l Renewed January 21, 1937 3 Claims.

This invention relates to storage receptacles equippedwith dispensing means for the automatic vending of small packages, and ,particularlyL of a'heat-insulated multi-chambered con` tainer for frozen edibles constructed4 so' as to prevent freezing of the packages to the walls of their storage compartments, said receptacles having coin-controlled manually-operated mechanism for the withdrawal of their packaged contents, one unit at a time, lWhile maintaining the heat insulation intact up to the time of delivery of each package. i

The principal object of my said invention is to providea new, compact and adequately insulated storage cabinet for small, preferably brickshaped, wrapped packages of suchl ediblesfas require thermal protection to avoid deterioration.

" while awaiting sale, said cabinetbeing provided with eicient means to avoid any but a very brief openingv of the insulated chamber fat times of withdrawal of packages, and to provide in connection with said storage chamber-with its insulation maintaining `means, simple 'and positive manually-operated coin-controlledr mechanism for discharging the packaged contents of said cabinet, one unit at a time, into an' insulated Y withdrawal chamber from which one or more may bewith` only a momentary opening of the f insulated chamber,`dropped into a. suitable disy Y charge chute..

Another very important object of said invention ls to provide'in such a vending cabinet as l hereinbefore described, a plurality of storage compartments, each adapted to contain anumber of packages placed `one on tp of another and to maintain such packages from contact with the walls of such compartments by a plurality of `projecting ribs-or ns, longitudinally disposed with relation to said compartment, thus to avoid contact of said packages with extended surfaces ofthe walls of said chambers, providing instead a series of 'narrow contacts which, if such freezing should occur, 'are easily broken'by only the weight vof the packages when, the support below is removed'by the withdrawal of a I lowermost package., Still other objects are simplicity of construction of the package-expelling mechanism; a structural arrangement of storage vcompartments resulting in economy. of refrigeration and of space, even distribution of thermal control,

, facility of replenishment vof lrefrigerant as well as of vvendlble4 packages, and comparatively low cost of bothconstructiomand maintenance. other important objects' and corresponding (C1. S12-ssi' advantages will appear'tothose of skill in this art from the detailed description of one embodiment of -my invention in connection with the'accompanying drawings in which,- f Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the storage cabinet showing relative location of coin-control operating handle and outlet 'of ldischarge chute; Fig. 2 is a section on line 2.-2 of Fig. 1, showing in longitudinal section the discharge chute and a portion of the package expelling means;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, enlarged, on line 3--3 of Fig. 2; t Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4-.4 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1, showing features of the package expell-v ing mechanism; l

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section on line 6-6 of Fig.1, showing package-discharge door and its` operating mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a section online 'l--l of Fig. 5, showing ratchet mechanism to prevent reverse movement ofthe main package-expelling operating shaft;

Fig. 8'is a detail sectional view showing operative relationship between the coin-control mechanism andthe train of package-expelling means;

. Fig. 9 is a section on line 9--9 of Fig. 8; y ',Fig. 10 is a sectional view of details of trap 1 door closure contacts. v

Referring now in detail tothe drawings in which like numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views, wand H indicate, respectively, the outer and inner walls of a refrigerating storage cabinet, and-I2 a space be-v tween said walls for any Isuitable insulating material I3. y

The refrigerant I4, which is preferably solidified carbon dioxide, or what is commonly known as dry ice, is contained within an ice compartment I5 (Figs. 2, 3 and 4); which extends laterally from the approximate center of the cablnet on either side, ice compartment I5 having an inner lining I6 spaced apart from adjoining walls VIl and Vl1 `and connected at their upper edges as -at rI8 to form a fluid tight jacket around said ice compartment, in which jacket before sealing vis placed a mixture of butal-alcohol and iso propyl alcohol for maintaining uniform thermal conditions, the principle and mode of action of which is vwell known in the art.

(Fig. fi) are package-storage compartments I9,

'20, 2|, and '22, each designed t'o hold a number of preferably brick-shapedfoil or paper wrapped -Oneach side of said jacketed ice chamber packages, placed one on top of another, the lowermost resting on shelf 23, for successive removal at the bottom of each pile as later will be explained. Each of said storage compartments,

5 is provided with parallel longitudinally-extending fins or projecting ribs 24, those on inner surfaces of said storage chambers terminating above the position of lowermost packages, such ribs 24 functioning to prevent surfaces of packages from extended contact with storage-chamber walls.

25 indicates a coin-controlled operating handle.

The associated mechanism of handle 25, generally indicated by the numeral 26, and forming, in

the details of its construction and assemblage by l5 which the deposit o f a coinis adapted to cause operative engagement with package-discharge mechanism, no part of the present invention, are

not illustrated in detail, and will not be further f described, such means for performing the described function being well known in the art.

It will be suiiicient, therefore, to explain4 that the actuating stud 21 of said coin-control mechanism 26 is caused to rotate in an arc of 180 coincidentally with the turning of handle when 25 the coin has been previously inserted to lock the parts together; and when so locked and turned I together, said stud 21 will engage said packagedischarge mechanism in the manner about to be described. 28 is a disk loosely mounted on ro- 30 tatable shaft 29, said disk 28 having a portion of its periphery arcuately cut-away to form radial shoulders 30 and 3i, with which said stud 21 is adapted to successively engage when actuated by the turning of handle 25, rst, when turned in 35, one direction to set the mechanism for operative package-expelling movement, and second, when turned in the opposite direction to actuate the train of mechanism about to be described to expel a package. Near the periphery of said disk 28 is pivotally mounted a pawl 32, spring actuated as shown at 33, so as to normally engage the four-toothed periphery of ratchet-head 34, which ratchet-head is pinned at 35 to rotatable shaft 29. Brackets 36 and 31 (Fig. 5) attached to a wall of casing 38 supports shaft 29 in alignment with the coin-control operating mechanism and with shafts and 46, later to be referred to. A fourtoothed ratchet wheel 39 pinned about midway the ends of said shaft 29 is resiliently engaged by the outer ends of a spring dog 48, the opposite end of Winch is rigidly attached to casing 38, thus permitting rotation of shaft 29 in one direction only. Non-rotatively secured to shaft 29 are bevel gears 4I and Y42, which, respectively, mesh with bevel gears 43 and 44, in like manner attached to the respective ends of shafts 45 and 46, each of which last-mentioned shafts centrally longitudinally bisects the lowermost extensions of each adjoining pair of package compartments I9-20 and 2I22,Aextending from wall to wall withinjcasing 38 and being journalled in said walls.

A series of two pairs'of fingers 41 and 48 on shaft 45 and two pairs of fingers 49 and 50 on shaft 46 extend radially from said respective shafts, each pair of fingers being disposed with relation to the other so that when one pair is in radial position to push inward from its supporting shelf 23 the lowermost package of the respective package compartment under which it is disposed, the other three pairsof fingers radially extend from their respective shafts, each at an angle of 90 from another. Each successive reverse turning of the coin-controlled operating handle 25, being communicated to each of shafts 45 and 46 through the chain of mechanism above described, will advance each pair of said fingers a quarter of the distance to or from position to expel a package vfrom its respective compartment.

At the upper end of discharge chute 5I a trap .door 52 hinged at 53 is normally held in closed position by the tension of spring 54 acting through rod 55 and bell-crank 56, which latter is attached by screws 51 to one end of trap door 52 as shown most clearly in Fig. 6.

Adjacentl the under edge of the package discharge aperture, a trap door' closure contact beading 58 (Fig. v10) is provided, said beading consisting of a rubber tubing half sunk in the surface. At contact points of said rubber bea'ding 58 the inner surface of trap door 52 is provided with a rabbet 59 of a cross-sectional contour to provide va plurality of angular contact edges, the beading and lrabbt angles being so relatively proportioned as when closed together to slightly compress the rubber thus insuring a tight closure. An operating knob 66 attached to the outermost end of rod 55 outside walls i0 of the refrigerating cabinet enables door 52 to be opened from the outside for the discharge of a package previously expelled from a storage chamber and deposited on the trap door, the package, upon the opening of said door, falling in the discharge chute.

A cover 6I for ice compartment I5 and storage compartments i9, 20, 2| and 22 permits inspection and replenishment of said compartments.

and when closed may be. lockedby a' common form of hasp 62 and padlock 63. A telescoping lid 64, for neatness of appearance, covers the top of the cabinet.

In operation, the ice compartment and the four package compartments being stocked, the purchaser deposits the coin in the slot and then turns handle 25 a half turn in a clockwise direction, such movement being communicated through intervening mechanism, not part of the present invention, to stud 21 which, with a 180 range of movement travels half that distance before it reaches the end of the cut-out portion ofdisk 28. Pawl 32 then engages with one of the teeth of ratchet-head 34. A reverse movement of the operating handle, actuating stud 21 in a reverse direction through an arc of 180,", travels half that distance when it contacts with opposite shoulder of disk 28, which then through the pawl engagement compels the movement of said ratchlet-head carrying the shaft to which it is attached the remaining of the range of movement of said stud 21 which movement rotates shaft 29 and through bevel gears 4i and 42, shafts 45 and 46, each a quarter of a turn. One pair of fingers 41, 48, 49 or 50 being, at the beginning of such reverse rotating movement. in position to push ,a package inwardly into the space above trap door 52, said package by such movement is removed from the bottom'of said pile, while each of theremaining pairs of fingers, being distributed radially at successive angles of 90 with respect to each other are advanced a quarter of a turn.

What I claim and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the character described, a heat-insulated cabinet, a refrigerating chamber centrally-disposed within said cabinet, a plurality of package-storage compartments located on opposite sides of said chamber, a series o1' .ribs

on inner walls of said compartments toprevent f' contact o! said vendible packages with the walls of said compartments. a centrally-disposed delivery chute below said reirigerating ch'ambena `pair of rotatable rods horizontally journalled in said cabinet below the compartments onloppov site sides of said chamber, :lingers radially po sitioned on said rods to successively expel the lowermost packages 'from diierent compartments into said delivery chute upon rotation of` scribed, the combination of a heat-insulated cabif net. a retrigerating chamber centrally disposed within said cabinet, a plurality of package storage compartments arranged on two sides of said 30 rectangular vendlble packages piled one on i599 chamber each adapted to contain a plurality of A of another. a receiving chamber within said insulated cabinet, a pair of yrotatable rods horizontally `iournalled in said cabinet below 'said compartments, a plurality oi nngers radially disposed on saidro'ds, means to simultaneously rorods tof msnm mcs m as zo cause sala angers to exper the iowermost ot said supervised packages one at a time from each o! said storage compartments into said receiving chamber, and vmanually operated means to permit discharge of packages from said receivingchamber. l f 3. In a vending machine ofthe character described, the combination of a heat-insulated cabinet, a centrally disposed reirigerating chamber within said cabinet, a receiving chamber below said refrigerating chamber, a plurality oi vend-- ible package-storage compartments. `separated from each other by said refrigerating chamber. walls ot said storage compartments being provided ywith a series o! ribs to prevert freezing contacto! said vendible packages with said walls.

a pair oi rotatable rods horizontally journalled in said cabinet below said compartments and a" plurality of iingers radially disposed on saidrods to expel the lowermost of said'superpo'sed packages one at a timefrom each ot said storage compartments into said receiving chamber, and a shaft, geared to said rods adapted for manual rotation.

. GEO. W. KALBIIZEB, Ja. 

